


because i prayed this word: i want.

by Elmrook196



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/F, Son of Aphrodite!Percy Jackson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-02
Updated: 2017-11-02
Packaged: 2019-01-28 06:38:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12600528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elmrook196/pseuds/Elmrook196
Summary: To have beauty is to have only that,but to have goodnessis to be beautifultoo.





	because i prayed this word: i want.

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly the tone of this doesn't fit the summary and title that well but they're from Sappho so I had to. Also, my first fic I'm posting on here? Let me know what y'all think!

It was really all Poseidon’s fault, honestly.

You see, he had let out this big old sigh, which practically screamed, “I’m in love with someone I shouldn’t be in love with”, and Aphrodite just couldn’t resist finding out more. Love was kind of her business, her being the goddess of love and all.

So she teleported herself over to where he was, eager to see who had got the big bad king of the sea in such a tizzy. She figured it may be a nymph or something, someone Zeus had said was off limits. The last time someone had moved in on one of Zeus’ favoured nymphs, they had gotten banished to look after their little half blood children at the camp they had made. Dionysus had been so mad, Aphrodite couldn’t stop giggling throughout the whole trial.

When she found Poseidon, it was on, no surprise, a beach. It wasn’t even a particularly nice beach. It was a bit too far into Fall to be good beach weather, since the best beach weather was the one most optimal for sun tanning, and the sea was grey and cold and it was mostly abandoned.

Well, except for her, Poseidon, and a young mortal woman, who Aphrodite assumed was the reason for Poseidon’s lovesick sigh.

“Oh Poseidon, you sly dog,” Aphrodite said with amusement. Poseidon jumped a little, apparently having not noticed her appearing behind him. He really is besotted then, if he let his guard down that much.

“Aphrodite! It’s, um, not what it looks like.”

“So you’re not gazing longingly at that young woman?” she replied, innocently batting her eyelashes.

Poseidon turned red underneath his tan. How cute! He glanced furtively at the sky, as though worried that Zeus would strike him down for even thinking of falling for a mortal woman.

“Oh, don’t worry about your dearest brother,” she said cheekily. “Everyone falls off the wagon at some point, no?” She let out a little giggle because Poseidon’s blush ran even deeper.

“So, come on then, what is it about this woman that’s got you all topsy turvy for? She doesn’t look like much from here but…”

Poseidon interrupted her, tone indignant. “She’s the most beautiful woman alive! She’s kind and selfless and her eyes are so beautiful, they look like the ocean…”

“Stop right there, mister!” Aphrodite interrupted in turn. She narrowed her own gorgeous eyes. “No one’s more beautiful than me! Now, you’re clearly in love, so I might let it slide, but,” and here she let her lips spread into a full blown smile, “only if you go speak to her.”

Again, Poseidon went bright red. He spluttered, looking quite nervous.

“I can’t! The pact, Amphitrite, the prophecy…”

“Oh, hush now. If you don’t go talk to her, I will. You know, I could be your wing woman, since you’re clearly out of practice wooing the ladies. It’s only been about fifty years since the pact! Live a little!”

“It’s actually been fifty four years since we made the pact,” Poseidon muttered. “Fifty four years, nine months, and, uh, three days.”

“Oh dear, you need to get laid.”

“Um, excuse me?”

Both gods startled, looking up at the very woman they had been talking about. She looked quite nervous, clutching a notebook like a lifeline, but also determined, with a steely glint in her eyes. And, okay, wow. Poseidon wasn’t kidding when he said she had beautiful eyes. They were a gorgeous mix of blue and green at the centre of the iris but melted into a brown at the outer edge. They pulled you in and didn’t let you go and, honestly, Aphrodite felt as though she could look into these eyes for as long as she could look at her own reflection.

“I, uh, couldn’t help overhearing,” the woman continued, which honestly was a surprise, considering that they had been shielding themselves from wandering eyes and ears with the Mist, “but, um, you guys are gods?” She said it like a question, though she looked pretty certain.

Poseidon let out an anxious laugh and then started to say something that would no doubt have been unbelievably stupid so Aphrodite jumped in instead.

“Yes, mortal. Pleased to meet you, I am the incredibly gifted goddess of love, beauty, and sexuality”, here she gave the woman a wink, a brilliant move by the way the woman blushed so prettily, “Aphrodite. And this, well, this is Poseidon, mighty god of the sea and, um, horses and stuff. And you are?”

The woman barely spared a glance at Poseidon, who looked like he was dying, which was hilarious. “My name is Sally Jackson,” she replied. “And, well, I just wanted to say one thing.” Here, she paused, looking embarrassed suddenly, her golden cheeks sunset stained. She turned to Poseidon, finally acknowledging him, and then said, quite definitively, “I’m a lesbian. So you don’t have to worry about breaking any pacts or anything like that. Because, uh, not gonna happen.”

For a moment, there was only shocked silence, the two gods and the one mortal woman staring at each other, until Aphrodite threw back her beautiful head and laughed. Poseidon looked like he wanted to jump into the sea and never talk to mortal women for another fifty four years, nine months, and three days. Sally was still very red but she looked a lot more relaxed, her fingers not clutching as desperately to that notebook of hers.

“Oh, Poseidon, I’m sorry, but this is just too funny!” Aphrodite giggled, definitely not snorting. “What a rejection! Sally Jackson, for that alone, you have my respect.”

Sally let out a nervous laugh herself and she tucked her brown hair behind her ears, which were also quite beautifully tinted red like her cheeks.

Poseidon, meanwhile, was still not getting over his shock. He gaped like a fish, looking between the two laughing women, and shook his head as though he was trying to get water out of his ears.

“I’ll, uh, just get going then,” he said quietly and promptly vanished with a gust of fresh sea air, leaving the two women to their laughter. Sally, unfortunately, stopped her laughter after Poseidon’s disappearing act, looking nervous again.

“Well, Sally Jackson,” Aphrodite started, realising that she now had a golden opportunity and also no silly pacts preventing her from giving this a shot, “how would you like to get a coffee some time?”

Sally turned red again, which was honestly just the cutest, and nodded her head quite vigorously, saying, “Yeah, I actually know this really nice cafe not too far from here. They sell these little rainbow cakes which are just to die for.”

“Sounds splendid. Lead the way, Sally Jackson,” Aphrodite said, bravely taking Sally’s hand. “What do you have in that notebook of yours, by the way?” she asked, curiosity winning out.

Sally smiled a little shyly at the goddess and squeezed her hand as they walked down the beach. “It’s, um, a story I’m writing,” she replied. “A love story, in fact.”

Aphrodite grinned at that. “A love story, you say? Tell me more.”

They spent the rest of the afternoon talking, flirting and drinking coffee. And also eating those little rainbow cakes, which were, in fact, very delicious. Aphrodite ate three but you didn’t hear that from here.

* * *

 

Okay, so Aphrodite knew that she wouldn’t be able to stay with Sally for ever. She had her own immortal husband (ugh) and her immortal lover (a much nicer thought) plus all her other mortal affairs. Still, she had spent the whole winter with Sally Jackson, the mortal woman with the most beautiful eyes (besides her own, of course), completely ignoring her other conquests, unwilling to break away from the woman.

Aphrodite didn’t want to break the woman’s heart. She had a feeling it would break her own heart in a way.

Which was, of course, absolutely ridiculous. She was basically the goddess of breaking hearts. She’s broken millions of hearts over the millennium, what was one more?

It’s just that. Well, Sally Jackson’s heart was just so big. It contained an ocean of love and compassion and she was not stingy on dishing out her love. She was so kind and helpful, encouraging to those who needed to be brave and patient with those that were brash. She worked at a local youth centre, lending a gentle hand and attentive ear especially to the gay and trans kids that came through the door. She taught sexual education, something that Aphrodite admired very much, since just the decade before and still into this decade, lack of education about sex had caused so many people, people who had just wanted to love, to die painful deaths.

And when Aphrodite found out how much sadness had been in her beautiful Sally’s life, she could’ve burst into tears right then and there. She didn’t, choosing instead to wrap her arms around Sally, though a few tears did escape. Sally had lost her parents tragically in a plane crash that Sally said had definitely been caused by storm spirits - she had seen the plane get taken down from the airport window as it had left the Cuban airport and had seen storm clouds shaped like stallions. She had only been seven years old and she was sent to her estranged uncle, all the way in New York City. It hadn’t been easy, trying to perfect her English and being thrown into an American school in the middle of the school year, but eventually Sally had found her place.

But then - there was always a “but then” in these kind of stories - her uncle fell sick with the very disease that was causing the downfall of so many of the gay men around the country. Sally hadn’t been forced to give up the possibility of university but, as she said, it wasn’t as though she could leave her uncle to die all by himself, not after he lost his partner and most of his friends to the same disease.

The more Aphrodite heard about Sally’s life, the more she was certain she could never let her go through another heartbreak. Sally Jackson deserved the world and Aphrodite was tempted to just give it to her.

But Aphrodite couldn’t do that. As much as she hated to admit it, she had limits and not being able to create whole new worlds was one of them.

The knowledge that she had to give up Sally Jackson weighed down on her heart so much that even Ares, her rather oblivious immortal lover, noticed that she was distracted during one hurried make out session while her husband was down in the forges.

“Babe? You okay, doll?” he said gruffly, looking very strong and handsome in that god of war way of his.

Aphrodite let out a sigh of extreme suffering and looked dramatically into the distance. “It’s,” she started and then stopped, sighing again. “Well, I suppose it’s not nothing. You know that mortal woman I told you about, the one who rejected Poseidon in the most amazing manner a few months back?”

Ares grunted in affirmation, his hands still secure around her waist.

“Well, we’ve been seeing each other, I suppose. Meeting for coffee, talking about romance novels, the usual.”

“And? Sounds pretty sweet, if you ask me.”

“Oh, Ares, I just don’t want to break this poor woman’s heart! She’s been through so many hardships, I just don’t know if I can add another one.”

Ares shrugged, clearly not understanding. “That’s the way life is, sweetheart. Hardship after hardship. If she survived this long then she can survive some more.”

Aphrodite frowned prettily, not liking this answer. She removed Ares’ hands from her waist, which he allowed, if reluctantly. Then, she very politely told him to go away because if he stuck around then she would continue frowning and she didn’t want to get wrinkles around her mouth. Not that she could, necessarily, but it drove him out at least.

She sighed, flinging herself dramatically over a nearby bed. Loving a mortal was just so hard! Or no, not even that. Loving Sally Jackson was just that hard. It had been quite easy for her to leave her other mortal lovers, even though she remembered every single one fondly. There was just something about Sally Jackson and her beautiful, mesmerising eyes that could not escape her mind. Oh, this must have been what Sappho, that amazing poetess from a millennium ago, had meant when she said that she had been taken over by longing for a girl.

Aphrodite was struck suddenly by an extreme need to see Sally. She hadn’t in the past couple days, having had to return to Olympus for the annual winter solstice meetings (which, as usual, had been both an absolute bore and terribly entertaining, what with Athena and Poseidon getting into a rather comical argument about salt water springs and their usefulness, once again). Now, however, she had no such obligations and was free to return to Sally’s embrace. Aphrodite had a feeling that was familiar but that she couldn’t yet place and knew that seeing Sally would help.

Sally was at their usual table at the very first cafe they had gone to together. She was writing in that notebook of hers, occasionally looking out the window at the snowy streets. Aphrodite appeared opposite her with two steaming mugs of the finest hot chocolate the world had to offer, from her own personal collection that she had been given by this one chocolatier she had dated a couple years earlier. Sally barely even looked up from her writing, too engrossed by whatever scene she had dreamed up.

Oh, she looked so beautiful biting her lip in concentration.

Aphrodite cleared her throat gently and Sally looked up, surprised, but a smile instantly appearing across her lips when she saw who was sitting opposite her.

“Aphrodite,” she said warmly, taking one of the goddess’ hands in her’s, “it’s been too long.”

Aphrodite couldn’t help a blush glowing across her nose. “It’s only been a couple days,” she giggled, suddenly nervous for some inexplicable reason.

Sally continued to smile and hold Aphrodite’s hand. “Still,” she said, eyes glinting in the warm light, “I’ve missed you.”

Aphrodite squeezed her hand. “I’ve missed you too,” she started, “but there’s something we have to discuss.”

She looked away from Sally’s questioning eyes for a moment and saw a baby stroller a few tables away with a happy couple. She suddenly realised what it was she needed to tell Sally, what had been weighing on her mind so heavily.

“I’m pregnant,” she told Sally, whose beautiful eyes widened slightly in alarm. “The baby is yours.”

Sally’s mouth had fallen open in genuine surprise. “What… but. But we’re two women. How is that even possible?” She sounded completely flabbergasted, which was quite nice, because Sally had the unnerving ability to hold onto her composure, especially when it came to the impossible. Something to do with having the Sight for your entire life could do that to you.

“I suppose it’s quite difficult to explain,” Aphrodite said, “but I’m a goddess. Anything is possible. And I’m not really pregnant in the traditional sense. It’s more like the possibility is there. I mean, you know how I was born.”

“From sea foam,” Sally said absently. “After the Titan Oceanus got slain and his blood was spread across the sea.”

Aphrodite nodded happily. “Exactly! So, yes, my demigod children are born in much the same way.”

“Do we need to slay another Titan?” Sally sounded quite overwhelmed but also, Aphrodite noted, very interested. The idea of children hadn’t been something they had discussed much in the past few months of their courtship but Aphrodite had known that Sally wanted a family.

Aphrodite laughed and replied, “No, there is no need for Titan slaying. I don’t think they would be very happy if that was the case. No, it’s my blood that gives the sea foam life.”

“So… we’re gonna be parents? Raising a sea foam child together?”

Aphrodite winced at this. This is what she was worried about.

“Sally… I wouldn’t be able to stay with you,” she said carefully. “There are very specific rules about the gods and their children.”

Sally removed her hand from Aphrodite’s and the atmosphere felt like it had cooled considerably. Sally’s eyes looked sad and stormy, like the sea in winter.

“So I would have to raise our child by myself?” Oh, she sounded so sad. Aphrodite really didn’t want to leave her.

“We still have time! I sense that the baby won’t come until at least August. And - and I’ll stay with you. For as long as I can!”

But Sally was shaking her head, smiling sadly. She already looked resigned and Aphrodite could feel her own heart breaking at that broken smile.

“Please, Sally Jackson, I’m going to love you for as long as I can.” Aphrodite took hold of Sally’s hand again and Sally allowed it but Aphrodite could feel the hesitance.

“I believe you, Aphrodite, I do,” she said, reassuringly, her thumbs rubbing soothing circles on her hand. Then, her expression turned impossibly sad and she sighed, “Oh, my dear, don’t cry.”

Aphrodite hadn’t even realised that tears had escaped, causing, embarrassingly, tracks of mascara to go down on her cheeks. She didn’t really care though, what she looked like, as long as Sally continued to hold and kiss her gently. It had been such a long time since she had been this into a mortal and she wanted to hold onto Sally as tightly as she could, scared to let her go. But she knew their time together had an expiration date and it was sooner rather than later.

Aphrodite and Sally stayed at that cafe until closing time, just holding each other’s hands, their hot chocolate long gone cold but never once touched.

* * *

 

Honestly, it’s quite amazing how quickly eight months can just go by. It felt like Aphrodite had blinked and it was Valentines’ Day and Sally and her were eating chocolate covered strawberries and giggling. Another blink, and they were holding hands as the Fourth of July fireworks burst across the sky above them, their hands sticking together from cotton candy. The next thing she knew, it was the beginning of August and she just knew that soon it would be time for their child to come into existence but also for her to leave Sally.

The only fun thing about getting ready for a child was seeing how excited Sally was getting. She was eager to start a family, thrilled to raise a child of her own, even though it also terrified her in a way, knowing what kind of monsters were out there that could go after her kid. Sally had asked countless questions about the whole process, like whether or not the babe would need nursing (formula was fin), did it have to be sea water (not necessarily but she preferred it that way), and if it would hurt (it did a little, but everyone complained that it wasn’t the true pain of childbirth. Shut up, Hera.).

Another fun thing about creating life was deciding what that life would look like. Since the child wasn’t created in the traditional sense, Aphrodite could have fun deciding the hair and eye colour, whether they had dimples or not, if they would grow to be tall or be small. Athena went though something similar when making her own children but she usually opted on the default grey eyes and blonde hair which Aphrodite thought was very uncreative. Usually, she and her mortal partner would discuss what they wanted the child to look like, but Sally was very frustrating, as she usually was, always saying things like “Oh, I don’t care what they look like, I’ll love them all the same.” It was very endearing but it gave Aphrodite very little idea on what features the child should have.

Since it was to be the end of their courtship, Aphrodite thought it would be romantic to head back to the beach they had first met, all the way back in November, when Poseidon had been mooning over Sally until she had revealed that she would never be interested in him. So they drove (it was so mundane, but they sang love ballads along the way so Aphrodite could forgive how long it took) to Montauk and rented a cabin for the next few weeks.

They swam in the sea, ate ice cream and held hands, kissed under the moonlight. It was so romantic, so perfect. Their cabin wasn’t the cleanest (Aphrodite had shrieked something fierce when they had opened the closet to find quite a few spiders had taken up residence) but it was just so Sally, with the calm rustic charm and the way she just looked so happy looking out at the sea as they ate breakfast.

It almost caught her by surprise when she knew it was time.

It was the middle of the night, very early in the morning of the eighteenth, when Aphrodite woke Sally up, only saying that it was time. They dressed quietly and made their way out of their cabin and to the shore. The moon shone above them, giving them a blueish glow. Holding hands, they waded out until the waves reached their waists and they turned to face each other. Aphrodite stroked Sally’s face and leaned in for one more kiss, which was gladly returned if a little tearily. Then, Aphrodite cut herself on the palm and placed her hand in the water, her godly blood mixing with Sally’s mortal love and the sea foam. They stayed in the water for a long time, Sally started to shiver a little from the cold sea, until, at last, a baby’s cry pierced the quiet night sky.

When Sally returned to the cabin, she wasn’t holding the hand of a beautiful goddess but cradling a dark haired baby boy that shared her ocean eyes.

 


End file.
